The Labyrinth
by Keiko the Merry
Summary: The story Sarah read, the story of Sarita and The Goblin King and his Labyrinth. . .
1. Chapter 1 The Start

**My sister, **** and I started this together a while back. She suggested that we start writing it on our own and see where each of us would go. So this story is supposed to be the one that Sarah reads in the beginning of the movie.**

Sarita was the unwanted firstborn of a king; unwanted because she was born female. Virtually ignored by all but her mother, and barely acknowledged by her father, Sarita's childhood was lonely. Sarita became independent, being alone most of the time. She was happy, though, despite the unfairness of her situation. She loved her mother very much, for she was the only friend Sarita had. When she could, the queen played with Sarita, and taught her. So passed the first ten years of Sarita's life.

***

There were hurried footsteps in the hall outside her door. Grabbing her robe, Sarita jumped from her bed and opened the door.

"What's going on?" she asked a passing servant.

"The queen is in labor." He said absently to her. "Get the king!" he said to another servant. Sarita gasped, and started running to the queen's bedchamber. She burst through the door, and ran to her mother's side.

"Mother, how are you?" she asked. Her mother's face was pale and covered by beads of sweat. She nodded to her daughter, and groaned as a contraction took hold of her. Sarita found her hand holding her mother's, and they sat together as minutes passed. They seemed an eternity.

Suddenly the doors were thrust open, and the king entered. Sarita stood and curtsied, and was indifferently pushed aside. She stood by, and watched as her mother became paler, and soon she was gasping for breath. The final contraction was upon her, when suddenly her body began to convulse. The nurses and midwives were running and yelling all over the room to do something.

"What's going on?" the king boomed. "Why is she doing that?"

"She having an aneurysm, sire! Have you no doctor near?" was the reply of a midwife.

Sarita wasn't able to hear the rest, for she was being led out, and back to her own room. She sat on her bed, waiting for the news she knew was going to come. Tears burned her small face, and she hoped that at least the baby was alright. She hoped it was a boy. She buried her face into her hands and curled up on her bed, and fell asleep weeping.


	2. Chapter 2 Visions of Balls

Two years have passed since the queen's tragic death. The Princess Sarita is turning twelve, and the king has not remarried. In the two years since her mother's death, Sarita led an indifferent life. Her father completely ignored her, except when duty required interaction between the two. One such occasion was the New Year's gala. People from all over, many kingdoms, were invited. Most usually came.

This year's was bigger than the last, and all who were invited came. Sarita readied herself in her party with the help of a servant. Because she was princess, and the only woman of royal birth, she was in theory the mistress of the king's house. So, her place at the gala was at her father's side, however much either disliked it. She certainly looked the part that evening. She was escorted by a servant to the dais, and handed over to the king, who graciously led her to the chair beside him with false smiles. She gave him her best and most radiantly ladylike smile, and sat in her chair.

"You look lovely tonight." He said, although his tone was dispassionate.

"Father, you and I both know you don't give a fig what I look like. Maybe we could just be quiet, and not talk?" Sarita said coolly.

"My dear, that is a wonderful idea," he concurred and was silent. Soon Sarita was bored, and was allowed to leave the dais and join with the guests in dancing.

Most of her partners were foreign nobles. She loved their accents, and she found the stories they told her entertaining. The people were exotic and different then any she had met. And then there were the familiar faces which were comforting to see.

Sarita was dancing with a foreign dignitary when her father cut the dance short to introduce her to the only other royalty present besides themselves.

"This is the Goblin King, come all the way from the Underground. This is my daughter, Princess Sarita." She curtsied, while he gave her the slightest bow.

"How old are you, Sarita?"

She grinned impishly at him. "Guess," she said, and danced off with her partner. The king apologized for her pertness.

"I don't know what's gotten into her tonight," he explained.

"How could you? She's just a girl, a thorn in your side, yes?"

"We see eye to eye." The King said nodding his head.

"Indeed."

Sarita saw her father and the Goblin King talk. She couldn't hear them, but as they turned away, she saw the Goblin King roll his eyes to her father's back. She laughed, and her dance partner looked at her strangely, wondering why. She smiled awkwardly, and resumed her quiet disposition.

The rest of the night passed uneventful, and the gala came to an end. Sarita headed back to her room and changed into her night clothes, and she sat at her vanity while a servant undid her dark red hair and left. She stared into the mirror blankly, and suddenly something caught her eye: a small crystal ball hanging from the chandelier. She turned to look at it, but it wasn't there, so she turned back to the mirror. There it was again. She jumped up from the vanity and backed away to her bed.

_What is that, _she thought. She looked back at the mirror, but nothing was there now. She took a deep breath. "I'm just tired, that's all," she said, and she lay down to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3 Visitor in her Vanity

A week after the New Year's gala, things had returned to normal. Sarita did as she pleased, and continued to be ignored by her father. This day, she was reading in her room. After a few hours, she sighed and decided to take a turn about the room. As she moved, she saw in her mirror the same small crystal ball sitting on the vanity. She dropped her book. The ball wasn't on the real vanity. How was it on the one in the mirror? She reached out her hand to touch the mirror, and found the crystal ball in her hand. Intrigued, and somewhat frightened, she examined it. It was smooth and cool. But then it started becoming warm, and then hot. In seconds, it was so hot that she threw it back to the mirror. Instead of shattering, the mirror absorbed it like a rock falling into water.

"What's going on?" she whispered, backing away from the vanity. A figure began to appear in the mirror, behind her.

"I'm not sure it's smart to throw things at mirrors," a voice vaguely familiar said.

"Seven years bad luck?" she answered nervously.

"Perhaps," was the reply, as the figure became recognizable.

"I don't believe in luck." She stated.

"What _do_ you believe in?"

"Magic," she said. "How are you in my vanity mirror?"

"Magic." He grinned.

"You're the Goblin King?" He nodded. "You answered how, but _why_ are you in my mirror?"

"I came simply to talk."

"Just to talk?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Yes, no one ever wants to talk. At least, to me."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. . ."

"Don't you?" he raised an eyebrow. Sarita shifted uncomfortably where she was, and moved to sit in the vanity chair.

"Because I'm not male," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Hm, I wonder if gender has anything to do with talking."

"No, I suppose it doesn't." She paused. "It shouldn't, anyway." she wiped her eyes. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "Are you always going to be there, watching?" He laughed.

"I shall only come when you call me."

"How do I do that?"

"The same way you did tonight." She looked down at her hand and found another crystal ball there.

"Oh," she said, and looked up, but the Goblin King was gone. She sighed. It has been long since she had anyone to talk to, and although the Goblin King was strange to her, she was glad she had someone to talk to again.


End file.
